Feed-the-Bear Experiment Draws Public-Safety Worry

ELY, Minn.—In the woods near here on a recent afternoon, a black bear lumbered toward Sue Mansfield. The 62-year-old biologist didn't try to scare the bear or look for an escape route. Instead, she opened her hand and offered the bear some pecans.

"It's me, bear," Ms. Mansfield said, as the bear she calls June scarfed up the nuts. "Yeah, hi, it's me."